A sticker price isn’t always the most accurate way to tell how “expensive” an item is. Sometimes it’s worth it to spend more money upfront for an item that will last for a long time or save you money in the future.
On AskReddit, a user asked: “What expensive purchase have you made that has paid for itself many times over because you saved money in the long run?”
The answers may help you make some adjustments to your wish list!
1. A Toyota truck.
“23 years ago, I bought a used 1991 Toyota 4-cylinder truck. Paid it off early. Its now 29 years old, and refuses to die. Good gas mileage, low insurance. I change the oil myself…”
2. New windows.
“New windows on our house. Replaced the old single pane metal framed windows. It was like a waterfall of cold air coming off of them and the noise from the street was obnoxious. Heating bill was cut in half.”
3. A house boat.
“When I moved back to my home town over a year ago I bought a 27′ sailboat to live on because rent here is outrageous. Boat cost $4,500 to buy, and moorage at a decent marina is about $170/month. Rent for a studio apartment or 1br here is $900-$1300; every month I save between $600 and $1100, so the boat paid for itself in 4-9 months.”
4. Winter gear.
“Quality cold weather gear.
Not only does it work better and look better, I’ve had a couple jackets for over 5 years now that see heavy use. Meanwhile I have a couple friends that basically buy and throwaway cheap gear every season. Works like shit, looks like shit, ends up in a landfill, costs more in the long run. Lose, lose, lose, lose.”
5. A nice bicycle.
“I bought a 500.00 bicycle to use as my main transportation. 500 doesn’t sound like a lot but when you’re only making 8 an hour, it took some time to save up for it. With public transportation being 2.50 a ride the bike paid for itself in about 3 months. I used that bike for about 3 years. I still have it but I moved so I can’t use it for the same purposes.”
6. Or just a regular bike.
“I have a bike. Not even an expensive one, just a regular bike that I use to go to work every day. It’s an half hour ride. I no longer use public transportation or a car so I save money on gas or metro tickets. Cycling an hour a day is enough to keep in ok shape so I don’t need to go to the gym.
Best money I have ever spent.”
7. Rechargeable batteries.
“F*cking rechargeable batteries. Xbox players save millions.”
8. A laser printer.
“Laser Printers are expensive up front, but they will save you lots of money by no longer needing cartridges. Also is less wasteful because of it.”
9. Hair cutting scissors.
“When my wife and I first started dating she wanted to learn to cut hair and wanted a pair of scissors that cost $25, which was a lot for us then. She offered that if I bought her the scissors she’d cut my hair for free as long as we were together. She lied. After 25 years she declared that she’d repaid me for the scissors and was going to stop cutting my hair. Still not a bad deal.”
10. A fancy suit.
“A very expensive suit.
This was the late 90s and I was 20 years old getting paid by the hour to do glorified help desk work. I had dropped out of college a couple semesters in because I needed to work. A recruiter called me out of the blue saying they needed someone right away. Could I interview the next day. The employer was the largest privately held company in the US and they had a reputation for being a VERY conservative suit and tie operation.
All I had was a poor fitting sport coat I got when I worked at circuit city. I called my father and he said go to Nordstroms, explain the situation and they’ll get one done for you. So that’s what I did and $600 later I’d emptied my bank account and was walking out the door with a new suit freshly altered that night.
I did the interview and just hit it out of the park. They offered me $55K starting salary to do app support. Which in the 90s was a crap ton of money for a guy going from making not a lot of money.”
11. A nice water bottle.
“A really good waterbottle and to go mug. Stainless steel and insulated, not the most expensive purchase but expensive for cups. It’s so worth it.”
12. A backhoe.
“I have 6 acres of land with a fair amount of trees on it. I spent about 25k for a backhoe that has saved, and will save me tons of back-breaking work.
It’s amazing the amount of stuff I can do that would take huge amounts of energy without the backhoe.
Need a tree taken down and the stump removed? Give me an hour. Need a dead horse buried (true story)? Give me about 2 hours. Need a 100 foot long trench dug for water or power? Give me an hour. Need a 15 foot deep hole dug for who knows what nefarious reason? Give me about 2 hours. Need to flip a car? Give me about 2 minutes. Plow something? Completely destroy your yard? Move that dirt? Drag something heavy? Unstick something stuck?
It was a sh*tton of money for me, but incredible what I can do.”
13. Portable car starter.
“I live in Minnesota and am a single woman. One winter I missed two shifts at work because my car wouldn’t start and I didn’t have anyone who could jump it and road side assistance couldn’t be there for hours. After that I went out and spent a little over $100 on a portable car starter. It is a small black box that connects to the battery and jumps the car without needing someone else’s car. This has saved me so much time and money. Also being a single girl who at the time worked at night, I didn’t have to worry that some stranger stopping to help might have ulterior motives. I feel much safer and always keep it in my purse. Added bonus, I can charge my phone with it too. I’ve been singing its praises ever since!”
14. A bidet.
“Bidet – Not super expensive, but saves on toilet paper. I’ve used it for about a year and I love it.”
What do you think about those? Have a similar experience with something you bought that REALLY paid off in the long run, even though it was pretty expensive to start?
Let us know in the comments!
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